New York Governor To Legalize Medical Marijuana Through Executive Action

New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has plans this week to announce an executive action that would legalize medical marijuana. Governor Cuomo’s plan is a strict one, but would be a step in the right direction. According to media reports out of New York the executive action would allow 20 hospitals across New York to prescribe marijuana to people with cancer, glaucoma and/or other conditions that meet standards to eventually be set by the New York State Department of Health.

No other state medical marijuana program was created by an executive action. The first ones were via the initiative process because politicians weren’t prepared to pass legislation to create medical marijuana programs. Then, slowly, state Legislatures created programs. This is definitely a welcomed third route for legalizing medical marijuana, and one that I hope other Governor’s will pursue.

According to the New York Times, “The governor’s action also comes as advocates for changing drug laws have stepped up criticism of New York City’s stringent enforcement of marijuana laws, which resulted in nearly 450,000 misdemeanor charges from 2002 to 2012, according to the Drug Policy Alliance, which advocates more liberal drug laws.”

Medical marijuana has had growing support in New York for quite awhile now. It’s a shame that it has taken this long for New York patients to finally get the legal protection they deserve. The fight is far from over. Just because the Governor issues an executive action doesn’t mean that there won’t be push back inside and outside of the state. And until every patient has safe access to safe medicine, activists in New York should remain as active as possible.

Regardless if you are pro-legalization or not do you really think we need to be filling our jails (thereby paying for) with people who smoke, grow or sell pot???!!!??? Time to wake up to the game.. the rich own the companies that run the prisons, the rich are/own the politicians who put laws in place to put more and more NONVIOLENT people in THEIR prisons (mostly people of color) and we THE PEOPLE pay for this madness….

Colorado is going to make at least $40,000,000 because its recreational. hmmm so let me think here for a sec,NY is being run into the ground because most mooches. im sorry i mean people on welfare spend a lot of there mooched money on weed. its $20 a gram for anything that isnt complete shit and doesnt even deserve to be called weed, if they sold recreational weed in NY there would be nothing but profit. but fuck NY im moving out of this shit hole as soon as possible were getting it the worst!

I am confused. Please explain the difference between him using executive action and going through channels? I am happy that NY finally will have something in place… just not sure of the legal ramifications of exec action vs through house/senate…. thanks :)

I hope this isnt like the medical marijuana law passed in Virginia in 1979. Where medical marijuana exists only on paper so not a single cancer patient, aids patient, or glaucoma patient gets it and not a single hospital or pharmacy carries it.

I couldn’t agree more (fellow NYer here). I have chronic pain caused by complications from surgical procedures and the only treatment is more surgery (which gives only temporary relief) or opiods that turn me into a zombie. In general I’m just walking around in considerable pain most of the time because both of those choices are unacceptable. It sounds like only hospitals will be prescribing mmj and only to those patients who are gravely ill, but its a start. Baby steps.

As a New Yorkers I a very happy to see that New York is finall going to have medical mari juana. Thank You Governor Cuomo. I hope that it will go deep enough to help those that need it. I suffer from chronic pain which is treated with opiates and I am hoping that these new laws will include people like me. This is important because of how many people are getting hooked on prescription drugs and in most cases those drugs are opiates.

Governments are usually willing to legalize “medical marijuana” when they implement a system so strict, almost no one qualifies, and almost all doctors are scared to prescribe it, and will only do so (maybe) when you’re on your death bed… they treat it stricter than prescriptions for morphine and dilaudid in New Jersey.

I am a cancer patient/survivor of Squamous cell carcinoma in my mouth, and had to have a slice of my tongue cut out, is this something that I can get a medical card for ?? I am more into the growth potential, as I am a true believer in it’s medicinal qualities… it’s not the stoner crap that they had in the 70’s that just lays you out, and people need to recognize the differences. please any help with the medical requirements =)

First i’ll believe it when it happens our Governor has lied about many issues here … . Second 20 hospitals what the hell is up with that that will not nearly be enough and I’ll bet most will be in the NY city area ..Why would our Doctors not be able to prescribe it from their office Sound a little off to me